noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of creditor
1400–50; late Middle English creditour < Latin crēditor, equivalent to crēdi- variant stem of crēdere to believe, entrust ( see credit) + -tor -tor
Explanation
If Joe loans you two dollars so you can buy a cup of coffee, Joe is your creditor — you owe him two dollars and a big thank you! If you have a credit card, the bank that issues it to you is your creditor. What they give you is not just a piece of plastic: rather it is a line of credit or a certain amount of money that they have agreed to loan you at fixed terms. Make sure you pay it off every month or you'll become a debtor!
Vocabulary lists containing creditor
Believe It or Not: Cred
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cred
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Gordon Brothers is the main creditor, and has made £70m of loans to the business.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Security researcher Collin Koh said that China -- Laos's largest creditor -- was "trying to showcase that it is able to extend itself in defence diplomacy", at least with "amenable countries".
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Keeping its operating company outside chapter 11 also helped Brightline avoid potential damages from these lawsuits, which could stack above creditor claims under the bankruptcy code governing railroad insolvencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The GLA said that, as is standard practice in insolvency law, it had informed the administrators of the government's interest as a potential creditor.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The salesman had told Hale that because he wasn’t Roan’s relative, he could become his beneficiary only if he were his creditor.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
A Gordon Brothers insider said this would allow creditors to recover funds.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The move creates a 10 day pause on creditors calling in debts.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a group of senior JetBlue creditors engaged advisers, a step typically taken when creditors have doubts about repayments they are owed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
A group of JetBlue’s senior creditors hired a financial adviser and law firm, steps typically taken when creditors perceive a repayment risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Chamberlin claimed later that this attorney had been so angry at having his recommendation rebuffed that he tipped Holmes to the fact the creditors were again leaning toward arrest.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
